The kids have been looking forward to this for a while now, so we definitely watched it. I think it's a stretch to call this a reality show. That's not a bad thing--you miss the slice-of-life aspect, but you also miss the nastiness that seems to be part and parcel of most reality shows. Let's call it a game show.
I had wondered how they would be able to do this season--how they could retain the first season's charm without becoming too redundant. I thought at first that they were doing this by introducing a villain straight off, but that turned out not to be the case. Although the husband has a theory that, if the heroes had succeeded in rescuing Stan, the villain would have turned out to be "real" and an ongoing threat, and that since they did not, it became one of Stan's tests. I'm not sure I think that's likely--it seems like it would have complicated the rest of the season--but it's possible.
As for redundancy, the test where they discover the tires missing from their vehicle and have to find them? Where the real test is whether they notice the various bystanders in need of help? That was essentially the same test as in the first season, when the contestants were told to change into costume in a superheroic manner but the real test had to do with helping a lost child. You'd think that it wouldn't work again--presumably the contestants had all seen the first season--but very few of them passed the test. So...apparently doing the same things as last season won't necessarily be a problem for running the show, but too much of it could make for some dull television.
The girls haven't yet decided on favorites for this season, but there are still so many, and none have really had the opportunity to shine as individuals so far, so that's not surprising. Still, last year I recall them picking favorites as early as the first episode, based primarily on names and costumes but somewhat on persona as well, so apparently these folks don't stand out quite as much at this point. They both like the show and want to continue watching it. The eight-year-old was surprised that the heroes didn't "save" Stan but doesn't seem to consider it problematic.
Oh, the twelve-year-old thinks the special effects--such as they are--aren't good enough. Personally I think the low-tech thing adds to the appeal, but at least one pre-teen would like a little more glitz.
And they both think that this year's prize--the winner having an action figure made of him/herself--is far, far cooler than last year's!
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